Tinnitus and Stress?

Yes, there’s a relationship. And it can create a vicious circle. Research has shown that how you look at tinnitus affects your levels of stress. Stress can be a factor in the onset of tinnitus. And it can affect your experience of tinnitus in the long term.

But what exactly is stress? The first thing to say is that its not always a bad thing. Stress can motivate you and help you to improve your physical performance. Most sports training works by increasing a load of stress on the body over time. But stress can be a bad thing if you’re not able to cope with the amount of mental or physical stress you’re under.

Our body is a bit like Goldilocks. It likes things to stay the same. Not too hot, not too cold, not too much of anything, not too little. This is homeostasis. Moving away from homeostasis creates stress. We adapt to small stressors over time, but too much at once can make us ill.

The nervous system and the endocrine system regulate our internal environment. Think of the nervous system like a light switch. Flick it on and the room becomes brighter immediately. If you come across a scary situation your nervous system will immediately prepare to get you out. The endocrine system is not so fast. It deposits hormones into the bloodstream much like putting a stock cube into soup. They take a while to mix in. But some of those hormones are big players in stress.

Let’s look at an example. You go on holiday in search of the sun. After boarding a plane, you move into a different time zone. When you get to your destination – let's assume its somewhere hot – you run to the beach. And you might well enjoy a richer diet and usual and more than a few beers or glasses of wine on your holiday.

What are you doing to yourself?

If you’ve traveled some distance you’ve disrupted the daily rhythms of your body. These are partly regulated by cortisol, a steroid hormone linked to stress. Your body must adapt to the change in temperature. And it must deal with increased alcohol levels and higher levels of sugar and fat in the bloodstream. You struggle to cope with the heat. Your blood vessels dilate to bring blood to the surface and release heat. You sweat to cool your body down. All to regain homeostasis. You have created stress for your body in several ways.

Your body can cope with these occasional stressors and you’ll probably feel the benefit of the break. But if you meet an overload of stress time and again, you will struggle to cope.

What Can You Do?

Look at what you pay attention to A ticking clock is usually relegated to the background and doesn’t bother us. See if it is possible to leave tinnitus in the background while you get on with your life.

Exercise

It can create a sense of well being and help you to cope with tinnitus and sleep better.

Relax

Remember the link between tinnitus and stress? Activities such as yoga, tai chi, and meditation can help you relax and control tinnitus. The connection between mind and body is real. Activities that relax your body will signal to your mind that it can relax too, and vice versa.

Check your posture

Bad posture creates muscular tension. Slouching can reduce the space in your rib cage. You need space to breathe well. Providing oxygen to power your cells and get rid of waste gases like carbon dioxide is harder if you slouch. And your posture can affect how you feel. Stand tall and you’ll feel more able to take on the world.

Watch What you Eat

An overload of caffeine, sugar, or alcohol can stress your body. Caffeine, in coffee, chocolate, and some soft drinks, stimulates neutrons in the brain. These tell your body to pump out the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. Too much sugar and refined carbohydrates raise blood sugar levels. Then your body must work hard to bring you back to homeostasis.

Try acupuncture

Making changes to the functioning of some ear structures. Reducing inflammation. Changing brain chemistry. All ways in which acupuncture could help you with tinnitus!